Chapter 54: The Astonished Trio

The three of them chatted casually, speculating about what the new teaching assistant would be like—some guesses were positive, others not so much.

Zhong Yuxiu quietly raised her hand. “Um, I have something to say.”

“Go ahead, Zhong,” the Class Committee Member replied, turning his attention from his conversation with the former vice class monitor.

The vice class monitor grinned. “Zhong, don’t tell me you know who our TA is?”

“Well, believe it or not, I actually do,” Zhong Yuxiu said, smiling with pursed lips.

“You’ve met them?” The Committee Member looked thrilled.

Zhong nodded, and the vice class monitor and Committee Member immediately bombarded her with questions.

“Who is it? What do they look like? Are they easygoing?”

“Well, looks-wise, they’re as good-looking as me; temper-wise, just as pleasant. As for who it is…” Zhong let the suspense hang, saying nothing. The vice class monitor and Committee Member looked at her as if their stares could force the answer out. Zhong shook her head with a sly smile. “You both know them. Why not take a guess?”

“No way!” the Committee Member blurted, incredulous. “You’re just keeping us guessing!”

People like to keep others on their toes.

Luo Ban, who had been standing by with a gentle smile, said, “Since we all know this person, they must be from our school. My guess is… the answer is right in front of us.”

“Right in front of us…” The Committee Member and vice class monitor suddenly understood. “It’s you.”

Luo Ban: “…”

Zhong Yuxiu burst out laughing—this was a first-rate misunderstanding.

“Who is right in front of us?” Luo Ban lifted his chin slightly and pouted toward Zhong Yuxiu, who was struggling to suppress her laughter.

“Is it Zhong?” the vice class monitor asked, uncertainty coloring her words as realization dawned.

Luo Ban nodded. “That’s what I suspect. When Professor Ding spoke about the new TA, it was clear he already knew the person. Think back: wasn’t he especially complimentary when talking about her?”

“I think so,” the Committee Member said, still a bit dazed.

“And Zhong just hinted at it three times,” Luo Ban pointed out.

If they still couldn’t figure it out, they’d have to be fools. The vice class monitor slapped her forehead. “I knew something was off—so this was it.”

The Committee Member circled Zhong, looking her up and down several times. “Zhong, how did you suddenly become our TA? This is all so sudden. The only thing Professor Ding said was that we’d have a TA—he didn’t say anything else.” No one would have guessed Zhong at first.

Last semester, Zhong had taken a long leave of absence.

Zhong smiled and began to explain, “Before I took my leave last semester, I participated in an exam to skip a grade. You knew about that, right?”

“No!” all three shook their heads.

“Oh, so no one told you.” Zhong’s smile was bright, lively. “I passed the grade-skipping exam before I went on leave. Otherwise, knowing Professor Ding’s temperament, do you think he’d have let me take such a long leave?”

Miss classes and skip finals? Unthinkable.

Luo Ban considered this, and everything suddenly fit together. “But we’re the inaugural class—how could you skip a grade?”

“And that’s why I became the TA,” Zhong said, not mentioning anything about her research.

“So you passed a whole year, and that’s how you became a TA?” Was that even possible?

The vice class monitor and Committee Member exchanged glances. “So if we take the exam, could we also apply to be TAs? Not for our class—maybe for another?”

Having teaching assistant experience would open more doors for employment after graduation; some might even stay on at the university.

It was a rare opportunity!

“You’ll have to ask Professor Ding about that.” Zhong dropped this bombshell, deliberately omitting that she’d actually passed the fourth-year exams.

That afternoon, almost twice as many students came to register as in the morning, and the four of them were kept running in circles. The vice class monitor and Committee Member had no time to dwell on the TA situation. The university had already decided, and Professor Ding clearly appreciated Zhong—proof enough that she was exceptional to warrant such trust.

If they wanted the same chance, they’d have to consult Professor Ding themselves.

After the final student signed up, the four tidied the tables and chairs and returned to Professor Ding’s office, where the vice class monitor and Committee Member handed over the materials.

“Professor, when you have time, please take a look at the roster—all the students are accounted for, not a single one missing,” they reported.

Professor Ding nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“You flatter us, sir. Serving the class is our duty as student leaders,” Luo Ban said humbly, his demeanor calm and restrained.

“I’m very pleased by your sense of responsibility. Still, I remember your efforts—go have dinner now, and remind your classmates to rest early tonight. See you all in the auditorium tomorrow morning.” He, too, was ready to clock out for the day.

“In that case, Professor Ding, I’ll be heading off—there’s something at home, so I’ll go back a bit early,” Zhong said with a cheerful smile.

Professor Ding nodded kindly. “Go ahead. You’ve worked hard these past days as well. When you have time, write up those papers—you can use them for your graduation thesis.”

“Understood. I’ll take my leave, Professor. See you tomorrow. Goodbye, everyone—see you in the morning.”

Neither mentioned the research project; one brief hint from Professor Ding was all Zhong needed to understand.

After Zhong left, the vice class monitor hesitated, and seeing that Luo Ban and the Committee Member said nothing, finally made up her mind to speak.

“Professor Ding, I have something to ask, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Not at all. Ask away—if I can answer, I will.”

Though Professor Ding’s smile didn’t fade, his manner toward them was not as warm as with Zhong; the three couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Indeed, everyone’s fate is different. When speaking with Zhong, Professor Ding was all benevolence and kindness; they’d hoped for the same treatment.

The disparity was all too clear.

But all they could do was sigh, realizing with clarity that Zhong’s path had already diverged from theirs.

“Professor Ding, Zhong said she became TA through the grade-skipping exam. If we’d like to try for such an opportunity, could we?” asked the vice class monitor.

The Committee Member chimed in, “We’re not trying to compete with Zhong—we just think being a TA would help us grow. Nothing more.”

Luo Ban stayed silent, but he too was eager to know.

Professor Ding read their expressions and chuckled softly. “It’s good you have ambition. But first, you must have the depth of knowledge that Zhong possesses. You should know, Zhong wasn’t recommended by me as TA—she was personally chosen by President Guo. And I can tell you this: a while ago, our Physics Department faculty finalized the outlines for the next four years’ exams. Zhong completed all four years’ worth in one go.”

That remarkable?

The vice class monitor and Committee Member exchanged glances, seeing shock and awe reflected in each other’s eyes.

Luo Ban felt his throat go dry and managed to ask, “Zhong is already that far ahead of us?”

“Yes, she’s far ahead. As your professor, I sincerely hope you’ll take things step by step. Zhong’s case is exceedingly rare among all our students.”